Ch.124The First Emperor’s Tomb (5)

“My descendants.”

“You have passed the difficult test well.”

The First Emperor wore an expression of genuine joy.

Ruide and Victoria looked at each other.

“He’s completely mistaken?”

“I don’t think we were supposed to be here.”

It felt like they were doing something terrible to someone who died a thousand years ago.

This was closer to exploiting a bug than following proper procedure.

But neither Victoria nor Ruide suggested leaving.

After all, they were curious.

‘Considering he set up the 5th Magic, he must be planning to give something amazing. I hope it’s something good.’

The Emperor chuckled.

“There’s no need to be so surprised.”

The Emperor paused briefly, as if giving them time to be amazed.

Unfortunately, neither Victoria nor Ruide were surprised.

‘Is this cold reading?’

A behavior that predicts by understanding human psychology.

Perhaps if they weren’t like Ruide, who could see through all the tricks in this place, they would have been shocked at this moment.

But unfortunately, Ruide was one of the few magicians who could use the 5th Magic.

“I am an illusion. However, I exist. What you’re seeing is merely my image from the 13th Imperial Year.”

‘Still, it looks so real.’

The surrounding colors, air, smell.

Everything seemed real. However, what Ruide was seeing, hearing, and feeling right now was all from the 13th Imperial Year—about 938 years ago.

Ruide experimentally went in front of the Emperor and waved his hand.

The Emperor, wearing a gentle smile, was not touched—the hand passed through him.

A device that allows the future to peek into the past—

Even knowing how it works, it was a marvelous magic.

How did Dellin, a figure from a thousand years ago, accomplish this?

“Come to think of it, my descendants probably haven’t seen Dellin. That’s certainly a shame. Dellin is extremely beautiful. This is my small gift, so accept it gratefully. Dellin, can they see you?”

The Emperor spoke to the empty air.

It was exactly where Victoria was standing.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes.”

Victoria nodded slightly and stepped forward.

In the spot where Victoria had been standing, the figure of an unfamiliar woman appeared.

‘So this is the great mage Dellin.’

The impression of seeing this historical figure, the greatest magician who established most of modern magical theory, was…

“She’s surprisingly young.”

“Mother, is this your first time seeing Dellin too?”

“Yes. Unlike other historical figures, Dellin never left behind any portraits.”

She was young.

And quite beautiful.

In some ways, she looked like an ordinary girl.

She had blue hair that reached her waist and wall eyes like the Windsor family.

Her eyes sparkled strangely, as if stars had been embedded in them—the kind of appearance that would remain in one’s memory for a long time after seeing it just once.

She wore a white robe that matched her pale skin, and on her head was a wizard’s hat.

…Perhaps because it was from a thousand years ago, the wizard hat looked a bit old-fashioned. If someone wore such a large witch hat in the current system, they would be ridiculed as a fool.

“I think—everyone in this space can see you. When my descendants run around.”

Dellin’s voice was so calm that it might not be heard if the surroundings were even slightly noisy.

“Wall eyes are a characteristic unique to our family, right?”

“…That’s right. Blonde hair and wall eyes are characteristics that all Windsor family members have had throughout history—their only distinguishing feature.”

“No way.”

Ruide’s eyes widened.

“Great-great-grandmother?”

“……”

Victoria, seemingly dumbfounded, pinched Ruide’s cheeks.

Ruide stared ahead with drowsy eyes.

“Achoo.”

Dellin sneezed and sniffled.

“Hmm? Did you catch a cold?”

“No. I don’t know. Anyway, continue. Even with the Dragon Heart’s help, maintaining this magic requires a lot of mana. I don’t know how strong your descendants are, but they’re probably reaching their limit soon.”

“Rui, are you consuming mana?”

“I am, but just a tiny bit.”

“I see.”

Victoria responded indifferently.

The Emperor nodded seriously after hearing Dellin’s advice.

“I’d like to give you better words of encouragement, but it seems time is short. I’ll get straight to the point.”

“The blue heart next to my corpse is an object called the Dragon Heart.”

“I don’t know if dragons still exist there… probably not. This heart is from the last remaining dragon.”

“This Dragon Heart has two effects.”

“First, if you put this heart into a corpse, you can revive the dead.”

‘Wow… so dragons existed in this world too.’

Ruide couldn’t take his eyes off the Dragon Heart.

But he wasn’t particularly surprised by the claim that it could revive the dead.

Similar items existed in the original work, and above all, it was the symbol of fantasy. Wouldn’t a Dragon Heart be capable of at least that much?

The Emperor continued.

“Second, if you implant this heart, you can gain ‘immortality.’ To be precise, not immortality but securing a lifespan of about 10,000 years. But that’s essentially the same thing.”

The Emperor smiled playfully.

“You might have expected various treasures from the tomb of the first Emperor, but unfortunately, this is all. However, this single heart is more valuable than any treasure.”

“You’re free to use it however you wish. I, who died a thousand years ago, cannot interfere. But I ask you.”

The Emperor’s eyes filled with desperation.

It was an intense energy unlike any I’d felt from any human before.

“I want to see if my empire was successful.”

“I’m curious about the fate of the nation that my comrades and I devoted our lives to founding.”

“A thousand years should be enough time to know.”

“But at the same time, I’m afraid.”

Now he looked like an infinitely weak human.

The Emperor trembled genuinely, as if truly afraid.

Looking at his shaking hands, he muttered.

“What if the system, the structure I thought was best… wasn’t the right answer?”

“Therefore, I command you. My descendant.”

The Emperor rose from his seat and waved his hand.

“If this empire has achieved peace and prosperity, use that heart for the safety of the empire.”

“If you think that anything I’ve accomplished is even slightly wrong, use that heart to ‘revive me.'”

“The reason to revive me is simple. If it’s my mistake, I will correct it myself.”

“That’s all I have to say. My descendant.”

‘Isn’t he just asking to be revived?’

Ruide, who personally had many complaints about the First Emperor’s system, couldn’t help but think that.

How frustrated and angry had he been all this time? But he thought it was remarkable that someone who had been an ordinary citizen of South Korea had established an empire and implemented various policies.

‘If it were me…’

Just thinking about it made him shudder from the difficulty and hassle.

“That’s it. Beyond this point, ‘humans’ cannot sustain the mana.”

Dellin waved her mana-filled hand in the air.

“What’s that?”

“I’m forcibly cutting the connection just in case.”

However, nothing happened to Ruide.

“Huh?”

“…That’s strange. That person Dellin just sprinkled mana into the air. She didn’t use any magic.”

Victoria raised the corner of her mouth.

“Isn’t that proof that Rui is a greater magician than Dellin?”

“……”

That’s not it. Really, Dellin didn’t use any magic. She didn’t even try to.

In other words, saying she tried to cut the connection was a blatant lie.

But then—

“Phew— It was hard putting on that act. Dellin, how was it? Did I seem emperor-like?”

“…!”

The Emperor’s manner of speaking changed.

Until now, he had at least given off the air of a ruler, but now there was no trace of that.

“…Not really.”

“You’re not being honest.”

The Emperor chuckled.

He went to Dellin and patted her head.

“Besides, Dellin. You should start leaving descendants soon.”

“……”

“Just give in already. I think—there’s not much time left.”

Dellin clenched her molars.

‘What does he mean by not much time left?’

There was a suspicious smell in the air. Ruide narrowed his eyes.

“Well, it’s true that your resistance makes the conquest more satisfying. Don’t worry. I still promise not to use the ‘Command of Dominion’ to put you in my bed.”

Victoria, who had been observing the situation, said with a stiff face.

“The Command of Dominion is the First Emperor’s power. According to legend, it’s a powerful force that can make even gods kneel. From the situation, it seems Dellin is being dominated by the First Emperor.”

‘…What kind of cheat power is that?’

Ruide’s eyes trembled.

That means Dellin is…

“I want you to lie beneath me because you ‘want to’ yourself. That would be more satisfying.”

The Emperor stroked Dellin’s nape with a lewd smile.

“An unpleasant truth.”

Victoria looked at the Emperor with lowered eyes.

“You’re colder than usual? Ah, could it be because I killed the dragon you cherished? But you’re partly to blame for that, aren’t you? I said I would spare it if you just spread your legs obediently. This is something you brought upon yourself, Dellin.”

Fresh blood trickled from the corner of Dellin’s mouth.

The Emperor held the Dragon Heart in his hand and mocked Dellin for a long time. Eventually, he put the Dragon Heart in his pocket and left this place.

“Ugh.”

“Rui.”

Ruide covered his mouth, dry heaving. It was too disgusting; he felt sick.

Left alone, Dellin spoke deliberately.

“There’s no way a descendant born with your meager talent could implement the 5th Magic, even momentarily. You’re being self-important. Those who can enter this space are not your descendants.”

Dellin caressed her belly.

“But a blessed child who inherited both your blood and mine.”

Dellin raised her head.

She stared directly at where Ruide and Victoria were standing.

As if she could see them, she approached without hesitation.

“The Windsor Duchy. It’s you.”

At Dellin’s unexpected words, Ruide had a blank expression.

“Your Windsor family settled in the North, and under Windsor’s protection, the Empire enjoyed peace and prosperity for a thousand years. That was all arranged by me.”

Ruide was utterly confused.

He didn’t know this. There wasn’t even a slight mention of this in the original novel.

“Sometimes you must have thought it was cruel. Unlike the imperial citizens under warm sunshine, why did you have to suffer in this cold place for endless time?”

Dellin wore a sorrowful expression. Caressing her belly, she whispered.

“I’m sorry. For making this choice because of my personal revenge. If you cannot forgive me, then don’t. Resent me and hate me all you want. But if not—”

Dellin closed her eyes briefly and opened them again.

“Descendant of the Blue Dragon, and my descendant.”

“As your ancestor, I ask you.”

Dellin spoke with powerful hatred.

“Destroy the Empire. Leave not even a blade of grass—everything. Eradicate that foolish and filthy man’s legacy from this world without a trace. With the power I’ve bestowed upon you, it should be more than enough.”